


Masquerade Surprise

by starrnobella



Series: Starr-Crossed Adventures [62]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 31 Days of Writing Challenge, Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/M, Halloween, Wizarding Crossover Connection's Cast the Dice 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27328804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrnobella/pseuds/starrnobella
Summary: The annual MACUSA Halloween Masquerade Gala is full of surprises for everyone in attendance.
Relationships: Bruce Wayne/Lavender Brown
Series: Starr-Crossed Adventures [62]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/972084
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5
Collections: 31 Days of Writing Challenge - Fall 2020, Cast the Dice 2020





	Masquerade Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is the twenty-second of my 31 stories as I work my way through Draco's Den, Excelsior Fanfiction, Hermione's Haven, Marvelously Magical Fanfiction, Melting Pot Fanfiction, NaNo's Misfits, and Wizarding Crossover Connection's 31 Days of Writing Fanfiction event. Each day is a brand new prompt and hopefully, each day will be a different fandom coming from me.
> 
> The challenge: A Holiday Celebration. I also used this story for my Cast The Dice challenge for the Fives score with the trope of Masquerade.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Love always,  
> ~starr

Lavender Brown hated Halloween, but she was required to attend the annual MACUSA masquerade to celebrate the insipid holiday. She rolled her eyes before taking one last look in the mirror at her costume. Brushing her hands along the top of her skirt, Lavender let out a sigh.

She reached up and adjusted her crown. "Why have I dressed like a princess again?" she yelled back over her shoulder.

"Because," Padma insisted, peeking her head in the doorway. "The invitation said that the theme was fairytales. What's more fairytale than a beautiful princess?"

"A wicked witch?" Lavender replied, rolling her eyes.

"Who wants to be a witch?" Padma said, tossing her head back with a laugh. "Maybe you'll get lucky and find your prince."

"I highly doubt it," Lavender laughed. "When do I get to see your costume?"

"Just a second," Padma teased, tutting her best friend's impatience. She adjusted her dress and grabbed her wand off the dresser. Stepping into Lavender's room, Padma had a smile on her face. "I'm your fairy godmother!"

Lavender shook her head with a smile. "You look crazy," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do we have to go to this thing?"

"Yes," Padma replied, nodding her head. "Don't let your hatred of Halloween ruin your chances tonight. There's magic in the air. I can feel it."

Lavender ignored the urge she felt to roll her eyes as she reached for her mask. As she fastened the ties of her mask around her face, she felt a tingling sensation fall over her body. "What was that?"

"Just a little spell to make tonight a little more magical," Padma replied with a wink, fastening her mask to her face. "It won't come off until the stroke of midnight when your prince appears or if I find you before he does."

"How do you know my prince will be there tonight?" Lavender asked, tilting her head to the side as she looked her friend up and down.

"I just have a feeling," Padma replied, smiling from ear to ear. "Let's go to the party!"

. . . . . . . .

Lavender glanced up at the clock on the wall. _Five minutes until midnight_. That meant she could finally take this annoying mask off. She pulled at the ribbon on the back of her mask. She let out a huff when it wouldn't move.

"Leave it to Padma to trap me in this stupid thing," she grumbled, shaking her head.

Looking around the dance floor, Lavender noticed all of the couples snuggled up to one another, swaying back and forth to the music. They all looked beautiful in their matching costumes. She found herself giggling when she noticed someone's mask falling off their face. So much for staying hidden behind the mask until the end of the night, she thought to herself.

Lavender began her trek across the dance floor to find Padma when she heard a familiar voice take hold of the microphone. She turned toward the stage and noticed Padma standing in the spotlight. Lavender shook her head as she realized that this was a huge setup and began looking around the dance floor for someone walking towards her.

"Princes and princesses, kings, and queens. Can I have your attention, please?" Padma announced, directing everyone's attention to the stage. "Thank you for attending the annual MACUSA's Halloween Masquerade Gala and making it the best celebration ever. We are so excited to welcome our friends from other organizations for the first time.

"It's time to begin the countdown," Padma said, smiling as she looked around the room. Her eyes landed on Lavender, who was shaking her head. Padma winked at her and then directed her focus back to the crowd.

"Ten!"

There was an exciting buzz growing in the room as the seconds ticked down. Lavender shook her head as she watched the couples pairing up for the last dance of the night.

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

"Six!"

"Five!"

Padma took one last look around the room. Lavender still hadn't moved, which was perfect. That would make it easier for her plan to fall into place. All she needed was for the man of Lavender's dreams to hurry his way across the dance floor to ask her for one dance.

"Four!"

The crowd grew louder as the excitement started to radiate through everyone gathered. Lavender joined in as the clock ticked down.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One," she whispered, closing her eyes as she heard the clock chime. Lavender slowly opened her eyes, expecting her fairy godmother to be standing in front of her. However, instead of her fairy godmother, she came face to face with a man in a dark mask, his hand extended to her.

"May I have this dance, princess?" he asked, his voice low.

Lavender recognized his voice, but couldn't place it at that exact moment. Looking him up and down once, she nodded her head and took his hand. "I would love to dance," she replied, turning to him and placing her opposite hand on his shoulder.

He spun them around and moved them into the center of the dance floor, surrounded by other couples swaying to the music. As they danced, Lavender felt a familiar tingling sensation at the back of her head. The ribbon on her mask loosened a bit, so she whispered a spell to keep it in place until the end of the song.

Lavender's eyes went wide as she realized that her mask had loosened, thinking back to what Padma had said in their flat. "The mask would come off at the stroke of midnight when your prince appeared or Padma," she mumbled.

"What was that?" he asked, stopping their dance in the middle of the floor. His hands were still resting on her hips.

Lavender looked up at him and slowly reached up to take off his mask, revealing his face. "Hello, Bruce," she teased. "This is quite different from your normal mask, Batman."

"Shhhh," he teased, leaning in closer to her. "Don't give away my secret. You never know who could be eavesdropping."

"Padma didn't tell me they invited the crew from Gotham City to this year's Gala," she said, shaking her head.

"Disappointed to see me?" he asked, batting his lashes at her. "I know I haven't stopped thinking about you since you left Gotham."

"Then why didn't you call?" Lavender asked, pouting her lower lip.

"Because I wanted to surprise you tonight," Bruce replied, winking at her. "Do you want to get out of here?"

Lavender looked around the room and saw Padma watching them with a Cheshire-Esque grin on her face. Thinking about her answer for a split second, she turned back to Bruce and nodded her head. "Let's get out of here."


End file.
